Shohei Ohtani, a globally recognized Japanese baseball player of the Los Angeles Angels, is at the center of recent news following the manager’s expressed concern over his "batting judgment." His performance has sparked discussion in Japan's professional baseball community about the balance of talent versus training and how key decisions during play can impact overall results.

Baseball is more than just a sport in Japan – it's an integral part of the culture. High-performing players such as Ohtani are looked at as national treasures and their performances have a larger impact beyond sports. Therefore, a manager's comment on Ohtani's "batting judgment" generates widespread attention, that could influence youth's attitude towards the sport and the strategies of the professional teams.

Interestingly, the focus on the strategies of individual players is relatively more in Japan as compared to the US or EU, where they, generally, focus more on the overall team performance. The criticism of a player's individual decisions also occurs in these regions but gets diluted in the larger narrative of the team's success or failure.